Flexible doorstop



Patented Dec. 11, 1934 I UNITED STATES "PATENT -o1=-1=rE-- FLEXIBLEDOORSTOP Robert C. Watkins and Joseph May, San Francisco, Calif.

Application September 30, 1933, Serial No. 691,662

1 Claim. (01. 16-85) Our invention relates to improvements in flexitsfree end. The wire 2 is formed into a cylinible door stops, and itconsists of the combinadrical coil indicated generally at 4, theadjacent tions, constructions and arrangements hereinafter coilscontacting with each other. From the cyldescribed and claimed. inder 4the wire 2 is wound into a number of 5 In the rigid type of door stopthere is no poscoils, each coil gradually increasing in diameter 5sibility of the door stop yielding whenstruck from and forming a conicalshaped portion 5 that the side, as for example when a cleaningimplemerges into the cylindrical portion 4. At the ment, such as avacuum sweeper or a mop, base of the cone 5 the coils are spaced fromeach strikes the side of the door stop. The result is other as indicatedat 6.

that the door stop is frequently broken. The Figures 2 and 3 clearlyshow the wire 2 dis- 10 principal object of the present invention is toposed at the base as being formed into a numprovide a flexible door stopwhich will bend latber of small loops or eyes 7. Fastening screws erallywhen struck from the side, and which will 8 are insertable in theseloops and may be screwed then return to: normal position. Such a type ofinto a wall 9 for supporting the flexible door stop door stop willremain indefinitely secured to the the desired distance above the floor10. 5 supporting surface. The button 3 is preferably made of rubber andIn rigid door stops very little yielding is perhas a semi-spherical head11 with a cylindrical mitted in the direction of the length of the stop.shank 12 projecting th rom. The diameter of When a door strikes such astop it generally rethe shank is slightly greater than the innerdiambounds a considerable distance. In our flexible eter of the cylind cportion s permits 20 door stop we form the device from a wire, and theshank to be screwed into the portion4 and the fashion this wire intocoils. Adjacent coils conrubber surface will give, a v oves f ed tactwith each other, with the exception of a few t e n Complementary to tCoils forming the coils disposed near the base. These coils areCylindrical portion ThiS Construction P spaced a slight distance fromeach other, and vents the button from being removed without 25 when adoor strikes the end of the door stop the first rotating it so as tounscrew it from the p spaced coils will give and act as a snubber andtion The Coils in the Po 4 preVent h bring the door to a quick, quietstop with pracs a k f m being m v d l ud al y. tically no rebound. Fromthe foregoing description of the various The device saves the hinges ofthe door in that parts of the device, the operation thereof may 30 itgently brings the door to a stop rather than be readily understood.abruptly stopping the swinging movement of the The door stop will flexwhen struck on the door. The device is also silent in operation besideand then will resume its normal position. cause the noise caused by anabrupt stop is elim- This flexing strain is not transmitted to the baseinated by the door being brought to a gradual and therefore the devicewill have no tendency 35 stop. to be pulled from the supporting wall.When a The device is extremely simple in construction force is exertedin the direction of the axis of and is made in two pieces, one a coil ofwire the door stop the spaced loops 6 will permit the shaped in aparticular manner, and the other a stop to compress a slight distance inthe direcrubber button secured to the free end of the coil. tion of itslength. This movement will bring 40 Other objects and advantages willappear in the door to a quick stop without unnecessarily the followingspecification, and the novel feajarring the door. The hinges on the doorare tures of the device will be particularly pointed therefore notsubjected to undue strain. The reout in the appended claim. bounding ofthe door is also eliminated, and the 5 Our i vent is illustrated in thec p ydevice will operate silently because of this paring drawing formingapart of this application, in ticular manner of bringing the door to astop.

which. The shank 12 of the button 3 is made long enough Figure 1 is aside elevation of the device shown to prevent the accidental removal ofthe button operatively applied to a wall; from the device. The cone 5gives a firm support Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the device; tothe button 3. 50 and While we have shown only the preferred form ofFigure 3 is a top plan view thereof. our invention, it should beunderstood that vari- In carrying out our invention we provide a flexouschanges or modifications may be made within ible door step indicatedgenerally at 1, and made the scope of the appended claim withoutdepartfrom a wire 2 and having a button 3 secured to ing from the spiritof the invention. 55

We claim:

A door bumper comprising a wire formed into a cylindrical coil, theloops of the coil contacting with each other, a rubber button having ashank 5 threaded into the cylindrical portion, the wire being formedinto a frusto-conical portion, the loops ofthe conical portion for thegreater portion of its length contacting with each other, whereby a doorstop is formed that is rigid in the direction of its axis but flexiblewhen struck from the side, a few loops adjacent to the base of theconical portion being spaced from each other for allowing the bumper tobe compressed slightly when struck a blow in the direction of its axis,and means for securing the bumper to a support.

ROBERT C. WATKINS. JOSEPH MAY.

